Cranes
by Plastic Emotion
Summary: They’re attractive and special creatures, just like young Noodle’s crush, but every time she tries to leave him the clue, something happens. Will her feelings ever be recognized or just constantly ignored? [Oneshot]


**Cranes**

Summery: They're attractive and special creatures, just like young Noodle's crush, but every time she tries to leave him the clue, something happens. Will her feelings ever be recognized or just constantly ignored?

**Author's Note**: _I don't own anything that has to do with Gorillaz (except my plot), Lucky Charms, and stuff with its own company. Also 'slant thinking': a.k.a. for Noodle, is being thought in Japanese, so contractions and full sentences will be in there. Its easier to read and express her real feelings._

**&&&**

It all started when the little Japanese girl was in the room Russel had given her to practice in. It was basically empty with only a blue floor mat and a stand up punching bag, the walls bare white, for no one had bothered to paint them or had any idea this room was going to be used at all. The newest guitarist had been rescued from a crate and learned that she was going to play for a band called Gorillaz some weeks ago, and she had already figured out what was in most of the rooms and the quickest ways to get around the haunted building.

Her own room was on the topmost floor near Russel's, the Gorillaz drummer and her supervising brotherly friend. He had much patience for her and tried teaching her some English words which she was pretty good at, except for getting words that sounded the same confused, such as the bat that flies and the bat for hitting. Murdoc had the least patience with her, but he knew her talents were necessary in order for him to make money, and so he allowed her to be in his presence only when needed (or forced). She tried being nice to him, even when he yelled some strange words Russel refused to teach her (or explain why she shouldn't use them), but each time she found it harder to do so, usually getting spit in her face while he screamed his head off or a view of his horrendous looking teeth.

So because of Murdoc, a brilliant idea popped into her head that she should have a room to practice her fighting skills in. Her room was a bit small and she didn't want to break what little things she had in there besides her bed and light. Explaining slowly to Russel what she required for exercise and entertainment, he gave her a room that no one ever used, a room that was meant to be turned into a home gym. Although quite fit for her age, Noodle (she didn't know what it meant, but thought it as a name since she couldn't remember her old one) was very short than most ten year old kids.

Well, compared to the skinny singer, she was as small as a bug in his view, she assumed. This disappointed her; he was second youngest, but so much taller than all the others. 2D was sweet though, always trying to make her laugh or sneak her surprises when she wasn't looking. Her favorite of all was when he would point somewhere for her to look and she would, curious of his sudden movement. Then rubbing her head, she would glance at him while he would look around innocently and there would be an extra scoop of ice cream in her dish, or candy on her plate, or something neat for her to play with. Doing that always won him a special hug and a boost in her favorite people chart, but lately, she had been shying away from him, unsure of why when he smiled at her or pinched her cheek, she would begin to feel hot and quickly forget her English.

In honest truth, she hated the feeling, but after a while of feeling like this, she realized there was no way to ignore it. One day while Russel was out of his room, she had gotten online to look up this feeling on a site that was written in Japanese. Doing a search on these feelings, the site led her to a teenage site that talked about crushes, being in love, and 'the one'. Swallowing hard, she jumped when the door had opened and Russel peeked in, staring at the girl as she jabbed her finger on the off button, accidentally pushing the computer's screen backwards. She covered her mouth with a squeak, noticing a large crack along the center of the panel, apologizing to the large drummer over and over in her native tongue.

Not allowed to be near a computer anymore, Noodle sighed as she released the rolls of posters she had, going to get some tape, a notebook, and some colored pencils. She placed the items neatly near each other, taking one poster that happened to be the character 'honor' in Japanese and taped it on one of the empty walls. The four others were Japanese related pictures except for one. The oddball was of the Gorillaz all together with Kong Studios in the background, all of them looking serious while the shot captured lightening in the background. She favored this picture over the others, particularly because 2D had to lift her due to her shortness, and from that she hung from his neck, head poking out over his shoulder as her arms clung to his neck.

Smiling, she went back to the notebook and ripped a page out, taking her pencils to scribble some messy hair, eyes, a crunched nose, and sharp shark looking teeth hanging down from the top lip, connecting the oval of the face with the hair. She colored the cartoon in, giving it green teeth, a red eye, black hair, and peach skin. Cleaning the mess up, she taped the face on the punching bag with a sneaky smile. Tossing the tape, she disappeared to her room to change into her karate fit clothes, a green two piece workout suit, light and manageable. She tied her hair back, pinning up the pieces that stayed in her eyes and placed her helmet back on.

She skipped back to the room, ready to work. First the girl stretched in all different positions, relaxing and contracting all muscles so none would get sore, held some positions in yoga to strengthen the balance, and meditated, focusing on her target. She stood, complete control bearing weight on her left foot as the other rose over her head, her arms stretched out in airplane mode, eyes closed. Releasing a steady breath, she slowly lowered the leg and crouched, one arm stuck in front of her, palm up, and the other angled behind her head, bent with the palm facing down.

Letting out a screaming battle cry, Noodle charged for the Murdoc faced dummy, chucking kicks and punches, the force sending the bag scratching across the floor with each contact. The girl hadn't noticed the door opening when she had the bag on the floor, punching it over and over without pause screaming, "Be nice, be nice, BE NICE!"

"…Noodle?"

The girl was yanked from her fighting fantasy when her head snapped to the side, her cheeks flushing a lot darker aside from the adrenaline rushing throughout her body from trying to pick up the bag and snag the drawing before it could be seen. But her clumsiness had her dropping the thing a couple of times, so the long arm picked off the cartoon before she could, "'ew are yeh tryin' teh kick the bloody life outta?" She squeaked, hiding behind the punching bag, embarrassed that her friend might tell the easily angered bassist her new little hobby.

Instead of a lecture or a scolding, she heard him snort, then chuckle gladly, grabbing her arm before she could cover her face, "'is looks like Murdoc!" he laughed, holding it up so they both could see, "Its Murdoc, in'it?" he questioned, grinning at the thought. Noodle nodded shyly, keeping her vision low. "I like it, s'funny! An' I'm guessin' yo' imagination pulled together the face an' bag as him?" he added, handing the drawing back to her. Once again, she nodded quietly. He patted her helmet with a merry tune in his voice, "Yo' my 'ero, Noodle! Rough 'im up a bit sometime for me, eh?"

Of course, she didn't take this literally. She knew he was talking about the dummy, but she slowly smiled hearing herself be mentioned as his hero. The singer moved around the room, staring at each poster in his own time, even if the only thing on the paper was a bunch of crissed crossed lines he had no idea of meaning. "Like wot yeh did wit the place, love. Made it yo' own." he approved, noticing the one of the Gorillaz. He leaned on the door, holding his wrist behind him as he smiled at Noodle, and she stared back blankly, her cheeks holding their cheery color. After a moment, 2D looked around, then back at her, "Erm…don't mind me, Noods, I jus' wanna see wot yeh do."

Noodle swallowed hard, nervously setting the punching bag where it had started, slowly punching and kicking it. These evolved into jump kicks and spin kicks, back spin punches and elbowed jabs. Her chest was pounding harder than usual, she couldn't mess up. Not with 2D watching. Then after a minute, she completely stopped, breathing deeply and hung her head. "Gomen nasi, 2D-san…" she whispered in between breaths. The singer tilted his head, very confused, "Uh…wot?"

"I…am…sorry…" she corrected, giving a respectful bow. The axe princess somehow got enough courage to look him in the eye without choking up, "I…I…not c-can think…w-when you stare…N-Noodle…" she stuttered, pointing at herself. The blueheaded vocalist nodded his head understandingly. "Oh, didn't mean teh put yeh under pressure, love. Jus' checkin' up on yeh. Tha' wos bloody cool, by the way." he grinned, giving her a wink as he closed the door. Waiting to hear the door click, Noodle dropped backwards on her mat with a dreamy smile and closed her eyes, swearing she could hear the crows on the roof squawking in a sweet harmony before she fell into a deep sleep.

&&&

Back in her room, Noodle rested back on her pillow, staring at her ceiling with a faraway smile, "_He thinks my fighting is cool…_" she thought, her heart beating lightly. Slowly frowning, she sat up, crossing her arms on top of her knees, "_What am I doing? I shouldn't be thinking of him that way…I'm ten…he's twenty three. A little girl…a man…I would be seen as a younger sibling, not anything else…….But why…why do I get so happy when he is around? This isn't fair…_" She huffed, throwing herself back.

There wasn't much she could do about her emotions. She was a girl with a crush, but she didn't want it kept a secret. She wanted him to know. Perfectly sure this confession would unaffect his life, Noodle felt an even bigger urge to let him know. It might not hurt as bad…and it would be a relief from the nervousness she would get. Because of these stupid feelings, she was placing herself farther from the singer each day, and she loved spending time with him. He was so…fun. But how to tell him? Rubbing her eyes, Noodle remembered something. It was a nifty technique…all she needed was some practice…

&&&

Cranes are lovely creatures, delicate and strong willed. Enticing to look at, but not when they're young. When they're young, they're odd looking fuzz balls. Noodle found 2D fitting of all the qualities of a full blown crane, and she, herself, was yet a hatchling. For two hours, Noodle spent her time on plain white paper, measuring, cutting, and folding. The art of origami.

But she had to make sure each one was created in a special way for the surprise. She had five, and within each wing she had written '**I love you**'. Hopefully the flat out message would get to the spaced singer as quickly as seeing the figure of a crane made from paper. Placing them gently into her drawer, she planned for tomorrow, for tomorrow was coming oh too soon. She laid back and glanced at her clock, tomorrow was already today.

&&&

**Breakfast**

Noodle peeked into the kitchen. No one was up yet and until she was done, it was better that way. Taking a deep breath, she climbed to the top of the refrigerator and snagged the singer's favorite cereal, Lucky Charms. Pouring the cereal into one bowl, she took a spoon and divided the marshmallows from the popped rice, placing them into a bowl of their own. 2D had a rare ritual when it came to Lucky Charms. He always removed the sweet candy from the plain sugary cereal so he could eat them afterwards as a snack. This always won Noodle at least two minutes to stare at him adoringly while the other two ignored him, too busy with their own food or the paper.

Perhaps doing it for him would get on his good side. She poured some juice, but refrained from adding milk, knowing he hated soggy cereal. She neatly placed a crane next to the bowl of marshmallows and disappeared, waiting for him to come. Footsteps forced Noodle's little heart to pound with excitement, but it quickly jerked to almost stopping, realizing it was Murdoc who had awoken, not 2D. She tugged on her short hair stressfully, peeking into the kitchen. She didn't want the others to _know_!

Murdoc groggily glanced at the setup on the table, "Wot the fuck?" He snorted, knowing it was meant for the dullard. "The stupid blighter gets 'is pansy charms outta 'is cereal, juice poured, an' a fuckin' paper _bird_ for breakfast an' I don't get shit? The fuck tha's all about…?" he grunted, snagging the sweet bits of the cereal for himself. He drank the juice and left the empty cup there, taking apart the crane in a simple whip, using it as a rough napkin, then threw it out in the bin. Noodle stared at him in horror. The man was an absolute _beast_.

Noodle dodged him as he hauled ass back to his Winnebago, and she slid down against the wall. Plan one went down the drain. "I punch dummy Murdoc so hard real Murdoc feel it bad." she uttered as 2D came down the hall, scratching his head. "Must be seein' things…mornin', love." he greeted, entering the kitchen. Noodle glanced in, noticing his expression as he tilted his head at the arrangement. His shoulders sagged as he stared at the bowl of plain cereal, "…He _did_ take me charms…" Lifting the cup, he looked inside it, "An' drank m' juice…Aw…I'll 'afta thank Russel anyways." He arched an eyebrow as the guitarist suddenly began banging her head against the wall.

**Telly Time**

Upon the singer's usual seat on the couch sat a crane, just waiting to be looked at and maybe read. The remote was neatly in a reachable spot on the armrest, a fresh can of beer in the drink holster, and even the TV guide was laid out for him in case he couldn't think of anything to watch. It was one twenty five. He usually watched the tube around this time. Why was he late?

Quick footsteps, Noodle dived. "'urry up dullard! I don't wanna miss the beginnin'!" Murdoc and 2D? When had they ever watched something together? 2D jumped on his spot.

CRUNCH.

Arching an eyebrow, the singer shrugged, grabbing the remote and turned the telly on. "Sixty nine, face ache! Don't tell me yeh can't count either!" Murdoc growled impatiently, suddenly grinning at the channel number, "Mwheheh…"

"I 'ave it, 'ang on!"

The number was dialed on the remote and the beer was snagged without thought. Noodle peered out from behind the couch they were sitting on, frowning darkly as they had practically killed themselves to watch women's mud wrestling. Barbies with their boobs barely being held within their bikini bras and their thongs shoving up their cracks. Noodle's fingers curled into fists as she clenched her teeth, suddenly being showered in beer when Murdoc shoved 2D's shoulder, for once, not threateningly, "'ey yeh never know. 'is is pay per view, somethin' might pop." he grinned, mind reeling perverted scenes.

**Lunch**

After a shower and washed hair, Noodle took a deep breath, thinking a good idea would be to set up 2D's lunch, but only halfway so today's breakfast wouldn't end up replaying itself. The singer had muttered something about microwavables for his meal, so Noodle went to the freezer, and after moving around some wrapped hands and what seemed to be a heart in a bucket, she grabbed one of the singer's vegetarian easy cooking boxed trays.

She left it on top of the counter so he could see it, and climbed on a chair to open the microwave, neatly placing an origami crane in the center of the heating platter. She made herself a sandwich and grabbed a juice box, deciding to actually stay in sight when he came in. Russel came in, wondering why there was a microwavable meal out melting all over the place, but left it alone when Noodle waved her arms, shaking her head, "That 2D-san lunch!" Thinking nothing of it, the drummer smiled and patted her head, "Helpin' out? That's nice of you."

Noodle smiled falsely, if there was anyone she _had_ to keep this secret from, it was Russel. She had heard that the reason Murdoc's nose was all dinged up was because Russel had punched him for some reason. The axe princess knew Russel wouldn't hurt her, but 2D's nose, or due to the size of the drummer's fist, face, might be in trouble. Russel began cooking one of his own many ingredient lunches, and the singer finally came in with a 'what am I doing here and who am I?' expression.

He blinked as the scent of food hit him and shook his head, remembering the reason for kitchens. Noodle watched him quietly as 2D noticed his meal out for him, "Oh…" Ripping the side of the box, the singer opened the microwave and tossed the tray in there, eyes on the box for directions. Noodle's teeth sank into her sandwich and stayed there in an awkward freeze, not expecting that. He typed in two minutes and start, throwing out the box and retrieving a soda for himself. Noodle's cheeks tinted pink as he glanced at her, doing a double take at her position, "Yeh awright, love?"

The girl swallowed a mouthful, coughing a bit as her eyes watered from the scratching, "Noodle good." she whispered, sucking at her juice. The singer nodded with a smile, attention pulled away as the beeping from the microwave announced that his meal was done. He pulled the tray out and an oily piece of paper, assuming it had been part of the cover that had gotten stuck to the bottom of the tray. 2D pulled the plastic off, stabbing at the macaroni with his fork while Noodle sank into her seat hopelessly.

**Practice**

Sitting on her stool, Noodle tuned her guitar, strumming a couple of times, and then tuned some more. Russel was setting up his drum set to a closer fit, and Murdoc was grumbling about something, setting papers in certain shelves and other little chores he always did before starting practice. 2D had gone off to the bathroom, so they were basically waiting on him. Giving up on setting up some special hiding place for it, Noodle had simply placed the crane next to 2D's junk in the recording room and went to her usual place, first turning on his microphone and keyboard.

After a minute, the singer entered, closing his orange pill container with a greeting grin, hustling over to his place before Murdoc could punch him. He set up the tones and volume for his keyboard, playing a few melodies of his own as a warm up. He leaned forward, nearly kissing the mic,

"Dream of my world,

I live on my world.

Going off my head, down to, somewhere

I'm going on a dance all tune."

The singer bobbed his head lightly in the mellow tune, lost in his musical world.

"In a pressure today,

I blew a bad man away, today.

Higher ground, had to be told,

I blew a man away."

The others played on nicely, everything going perfectly. Perhaps after this practice they could start recording for this one. It certainly looked that way.

"Brother, sister, too,

Do what you must-"

Everyone stopped playing and Noodle stared down at her beloved guitar. A wire had snapped. "Oh no…" she gasped, hugging her much loved instrument, and 2D patted her shoulder, "No worries, love, we'll 'ave tha' fixed in a jif." Murdoc glanced at his watch, shrugging, "'bout time we took a break anyways." Russel got up and, with Noodle, searched for a new string in the box of spares. 2D backed away from Russel's view and snuck out a pack of cigarettes, deliberately breaking the big man's law of no smoking in the studio. Noodle kept quiet as he lit one up and handed one to Murdoc, both lighting the fags secretly.

After flame hit the bassist's, Murdoc tossed the lighter at 2D, who caught it and rushed to light his before their drummer got up again. Russel shifted, looking like he was about to turn to them, "Hey, you guys know where the things are?" 2D's twitchy fingers spun the lighter nervously, clumsily dropping it on his papers. A small flame flew up and Murdoc ran a hand down his face, grabbing the nearest book to smack it out, "Eh, no, lards, I don't…" he flustered, eyes widening as the flame intensified, eating up the book in his hands. 2D grabbed handfuls of blue hair in fear, he was going to get it big.

Noodle tilted her head, confused in the two's running back and forth while Murdoc continually pushed 2D out of his way. Her normally closed looking eyes popped open as she realized there was a fire in the room, disappointingly exactly where she had left her crane. Looking around quickly, she picked up a half empty beer can and ran over, dumping the rest onto the flame. It immediately went out, and the two men let out a sigh of relief. 2D pinched her cheek with a thankful smile and Murdoc grumbled something, giving her shoulder a pat. All three clumped together, covering the burnt remaining mess as Russel suddenly glanced at them, "Why's it smell like smoke in here?"

"Wot cigarette?" 2D yelped naively, covering his mouth while Murdoc glared at him. "You should fuckin' punch _yo'self_ for tha' one, dullard…" The young girl rubbed her cheek faintly as Russel arched a questioning eyebrow, "2D-san…shhh…"

**Dinner**

It was quiet in the guitarist's room as she changed for dinner. Just because she fought zombies, trained in martial arts, and didn't mind getting dirty didn't mean she didn't like to dress up once in a while. Dinner was when she usually bothered to wear something nice, since it was a time to relax from the day's wears and tears. Connecting her arm cuffs together, she inspected herself in the mirror. She wore a lilac kimono with golden trimmings, gold curved lines decorating all around. It was a favorite of hers, but her helmet did not match. Removing it, she brushed her hair to rid of tangles and pulled it into two pigtails. Nodding, she slipped her feet into her shoes and grabbed the last crane she had.

&&&

Today had been a rough one to deal with. All of her messaging crane had been destroyed but one. This one had to work. She prayed it worked. Placing the white paper crane gently on the center of the dining room table, she sat in front of it, her usual place beside Russel, in front of 2D, and to Murdoc's right, since he sat at the head of the table. Releasing a deep breath, the girl sat quietly, waiting for Russel to bring in her dinner. Time drew on and on, eventually having the child fall asleep against her crossed arms in the dark, even her dreams were wondering where the food was.

"Noodle? Hey, Noodle, wake up, girl."

The small guitarist opened her eyes, the first thing she sees, her crane, the second, an outline of Russel. "Hm? Russel-san…where dinner?" she yawned, a small rumble helping her awaken. "We ordered some pizza, when I called you, you didn't answer, so I thought you were in that new room." he explained, helping the sleepy girl up, "You gave me a scare, girl. You been here the whole time?" he asked softly, and she nodded, rubbing her eyes.

"C'mon, you gotta be starvin'."

Noodle began to follow, quickly coming back for her token of love. She was welcomed with a smile and a grunt as she entered the living room where the pizza box was open, half a pie still left. "Tryin' teh scare us, girlie? Or kill us, more like! Yeh 'ad me wastin' shots on 'em shit-fer-brains while lards made me search for yeh outside!" he complained, chomping a bite on his slice. 2D nudged Noodle playfully as she sat next to him tiredly, "I fink 'e wos more worried than me an' Russ put together." Noodle smiled, taking a slice of pizza and placed her crane between them, finally satisfying her stomach after its long wait.

The television blared random late shows and commercials, a slight entertainment during their order up dinner. Noodle swallowed a large chunk, glancing at 2D oddly, still in her sleepy mode. He had been making strange noises with his mouth quietly, his attention obviously not on the TV. She stared at him blankly, realizing he was playing with her crane, pretending it was an airplane, zooming it around over and over with "Neeeeer!", "Vooom!", and "Psssh!" as its voiceover. "'ere's take off, cap'n!" he whispered, flicking the crane, and it flew across the room, landing in a corner somewhere.

That was it. Noodle put her half eating pizza down and stood up. Looking at her strangely, Russel pointed at her slice, but the girl shook her head, "T-Tired…not hungry no more." she whispered, and he could've sworn her eyes had been glassy, but she slunk off before he could double check. Maybe it was from a yawn? The drummer shrugged, snagging her leftover for himself.

&&&

With a smile, the singer walked down the third floor hallway, ready to tuck Noodle in. Today had gone well, save the almost fire incident, but thanks to Noodle, nothing major had been destroyed. His walk slowed into a tiptoe, hearing odd gasps and muffled whines, following them to the guitarist's door. Was she…crying? What would Noodle be crying for? Maybe she didn't feel good…

Silently turning her doorknob, 2D pushed the door open a crack to peek in. She was on her bed, face shoved within the depths of her pillow, her back to him. All over her bed and floor were bunches of little paper cranes…just like the one he had found at dinner. So she had made it? He wondered where it came from. It had just popped up next to him when he was eating. It looked pretty cool, and he was sure it could fly. It just needed a little force.

Slowly closing her door behind him, he tilted his head at the girl crying so depressingly, almost making him want to cry, too. Someone who was this sad when usually super perky shouldn't be hiding her problem. The axe princess took a deep breath, sniffed and sat up to wipe her eyes, and let out a scream as soon as 2D was in view. When had he come in? The singer, in return, jumped backwards, leaning against the door with his shoulders from the spook. "2-2D-san…what you do in Noodle room?" she trembled, clearing her throat. The singer avoided stepping on any of her little works, "I, uhm…came teh tuck yeh in, love…wot's wrong? Yo' cryin'…"

"B-Bad day." she huffed, unable to look at him anymore. Sitting down next to her, he noticed some more tears escaping down her gentle cheeks, running off into her lap. He put a comforting arm around her, and took her small hand in his free one, "Aw…we all 'ave 'ose type 'o days, love…"

She sighed, her breath coming out choppy, "No…y-you not know…" The singer rubbed his thumb across her hand calmly as she continued, "Y-You not know Noodle day…" 2D patted her back tenderly, smiling as he released her hand and grabbed a handful of cranes off her bed, "Yeh made all 'ese?"

The girl nodded without sound, her eyes closed sadly. "Wos tha' yo's tha' I sorta…at dinner…" 2D trailed off, clearing his throat awkwardly. The child shook her head. "For you…" Eyebrows lifted, the vocalist rubbed his neck, "Yeh made it for me?"

"All…for you…"

2D's eyes widened, surprised, "All 'ese in yo' room?"

"Y-Yes…"

Her eyes, rimmed with crystal clear tears, peered up at him, lip wavering, "I-I try…all day…give you one…I try breakfast time…Murdoc-san b-break it not mean to…I try when y-you see TV…you sit o-on it…I try lunch t-time…cook box m-make swan go paper again…I try p-practice time…it go fire…a-and I try dinner time…" she sobbed, unable to hold back her gasps anymore. 2D pulled her into an apologetic embrace, and she buried her face in his chest, allowing her cries to get muffled there. "Y-You not even read it!" the girl whimpered, covering her face.

2D combed his fingers through her hair, hushing her comfortingly, "I'm sorry, love, I'm sorry…I didn't notice 'em…Didn't know it meant so much to yeh…" he crooned, and she reached for one, showing him the side, "S-See?" With a free hand, 2D held it close, squinting at the small writing. No wonder he had missed it. "I…love you." he read, grinning down at her, "Awww…I love yeh, too, Noodle!" Those words were so graceful, even labeled for her, but she knew better.

"No…" she sighed, taking the crane, "2D-san not love Noodle…like Noodle love 2D-san…" she whispered, but the skinny man heard her. Still holding her in his embrace, he arched an eyebrow as he rested his chin on her head, placing the child's words together like a pieces to a puzzle. The Gorillaz guitarist couldn't possibly mean what he concluded she meant. The girl was what, ten? He shook his head in denial, "No…I do love yeh, Noodle. Yo' a big part 'o 'is family!"

Wiping her nose with her sleeve, the girl shook her head, "No…no…2D-san not know…Noodle think 2D-san all time…make happy…" she whispered, and the hole in the singer's stomach went deeper. How was he going to fix this mess up? "Crane…pretty…nice…big…special." the axe princess sniveled, picking one up and handing it to her crush, "2D-san like crane…big and pretty and nice and special…Noodle different…not like crane." Face bearing an expression of sorrow, the bluehead took her hand, "O' course yeh are, love…yo' all 'ose things an' more! 'ey, listen…yo' jus' a lit'tle confused right now, its awright-"

Grabbing his hand, Noodle pressed it against her chest, hanging her head. "2D-san make Noodle happy…" she squeaked, allowing him to feel her heartbeat. It was pounding. Stealing his hand back, 2D ruffled his hair. What could he do to make her feel better now? It would've been easier if the girl would've crushed on someone around her own age. He glanced down as Noodle took the crane from him, gently pulling on its head, and the wings folded up, creating a large heart figure. The world seemed to crash around the man, she had gone through all the trouble of making these nifty little things for him and he hadn't even realized it. "Tha's lovely…" he sighed, pulling her into a hug. "…I b-big love you…" she whispered, hanging on tightly, "I am s-sorry."

Pinching her cheek, 2D smiled, "Don't be. All girls get crushes eventually. S'tellin' us all tha' yo' growin' up." Peeking up, she tried focusing on him, "2D-san not mad?" Holding the heart in his hand, he shook his head, "No, why would I be mad? I'm flattered, love. Feel special." he explained to her confused look. She rubbed her hands together, glancing down again. She knew 2D wouldn't return any feelings, but there was a lot more rejected pain she felt than she thought there'd be. "Aw, c'mon, let's see a smile?" he offered, poking her sides, but she shook her head quietly. Bouncing his knee, the singer shrugged, "Anythin' I can do teh clear 'ose tears?"

Noodle stared off, suddenly turning to him, "I can have goodnight kiss?" What was the harm in a little kiss he gave her every night anyhow? Smiling, he nodded, "Anythin' for my lit'tle love." He leaned to kiss her forehead, but the girl faced up and pecked her lips against his, leaving him in a shocked suspense. His eyes widened as her cheeks flushed darkly, "N-Noodle! I didn't mean-" But the girl ran off, muttering something about the bathroom, a look of completion lingering within her eyes and heart.

&&&

"Yes?"

Noodle looked around. Odd, someone had knocked on her door. Rolling her eyes, she assumed one of the demons was playing a prank on her. About to close her door, she noticed something on the floor. Picking it up, she inspected it curiously. It was a crane, a paper crane, like the ones she had made so long ago to impress their singer. How long had that been? She was…ten…when she attempted to impress him. Her little crush. Ten years ago? How time flies.

The young woman picked it up and placed it neatly on her dresser.

&&&

Stretching from her scrunched position, Noodle pushed the hair from her eyes, lying out on the couch. That had been a good nap, nothing had disturbed her (which was odd), maybe some ramen and TV would do her some good. Lifting herself to a seated position, Noodle adjusted her blouse, fixing a new set of friends she had grown as she got older. Shaking her hair into place, she noticed a small white crane on the armrest. "Another one?" she muttered, picking it off. Today was just bringing memories, wasn't it?

&&&

Noodle jammed her thumbs against the controller pad with a smirk. Her character was completely killing 2D's. Slicing the virtual player in two, Noodle shook her head, "Wow, 2D…you really suck at this game." The singer glanced at her with a grin, "Oh yeah? Wull tha's not the on'y thing I'm good at suckin' 'at."

Noodle stopped her game play to give him a disgusted stare, but this pause on her half helped out 2D a bunch. "Hey!" she screamed, laughing while trying to block his vision with her hands, "Game cheating, dirty minded 2D needs to stop hanging out with dirty ol' Murdoc and start playing fair!" The singer held an arm out, keeping her back, but not by much, "Me? Look 'ew's tryin' teh keep me from seein' the game! Yo' the bloody cheater!" he chuckled, grabbing a handful of popcorn they had in a bowl and threw it at her.

The guitarist finally did the logical thing and paused the game, dusting herself off. "See? If yeh woulda done tha' in the first place, yeh wouldn't 'ave popcorn on yeh." he nodded as matter of factly. The axe princess giggled, shushing him, "Oh, shut up." 2D laid back, tossing popcorn in the air and catching it with his mouth, "Mmmyeah."

The young woman leaned back on her arms, tilting her head at the screen, but noticed yet another crane on top of the tube. How hadn't she noticed that before? Kneeling, she reached for it and sat back down, and 2D glimpsed at her, "Wot's 'at?"

"A…crane…"

"Crane?"

Noodle nodded, cheeks flushing at embarrassment for finding one in his presence. They hadn't talked about that day since it happened. After all, she had tricked him into giving her her first kiss. But if she could, she would do it all over again. It was worth it. A small smile grew on her face as she pulled on the neck, shaping it into a heart. The singer would always own her heart…always…

Peeking up at 2D, she leaned back, realizing he was just as close to it as she was, staring at the object like a jewel. He slowly looked up, and their eyes locked, his hand reaching for the crane heart, but ended up grasping her fingers. They both colored darkly and glanced away, quietly focusing on the creation. "Funny idea I had, hm?" she finally said, her expression holding a sadness that had never released. 2D looked on her once again and said nothing. "Well…kinda stupid…actually…" she finished off with a bleak shrug, shrinking the creature back into a crane. The woman sighed, placing it on her lap. "No." Her eyes lifted up at the singer, who was still clasping onto her hand ever so gently, "Not stupid at all." he corrected, lifting a crane of his own.

Putting it in the palm of her hand, 2D stared at it for a moment, raising his vision to Noodle. He opened the crane for her once again, revealing the origami heart, and placed his hand against her cheek, gazing into her dark green eyes for a moment before slowly leaning in, pressing his lips against hers. Noodle's eyes widened, then gradually closed, wondering _why_ he was kissing _her_. They broke for a minute to stare at each other for what they had just done, then leaned in again, 2D climbing over and resting against her as she laid back, arms around his neck. Their lips gripped against each other's, tongues wrestling in a deep war, then slowly, gave up, their lips releasing with a soft pop. The thin bluehead, in complete blush, smiled at Noodle's red cheeks and her shocked expression, hand still clutching onto the crane heart as her chest rose and descended for breath. 2D softly took the object, rubbing his nose against hers with a growing grin, "…I big love you, Noodle."

**&&&**

**Author's Note**: _Aww…well **I** thought it was sweet. Stood up till two in the morning (not that it matters because its summer now, but still!) typing this baby. On for 2D/Noodleness. The one shots come again!_

_P.S. – Oh gosh, I have a favorite part. XP It's when Noodle's looking up research on her feelings…like Russel can read Japanese. XD Well, I guess we all freak out when we're on sites that we're not supposed to be on and get caught. (cough) _


End file.
